Design Council Magazine issue 5

How would you like to star opposite the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood? Why cinema, oil and IT relied on design in a crisis

 

Read this and other articles, first published in Issue 5 of Design Council magazine, Winter 2008, or download a PDF of the entire issue.

Unconventional wisdom

Chinatown gets a makeover, lean consumption fattens profits and Amazonian Indians create luxury chocolate.

Presidential debate

America’s historic presidential contest isn’t all politics. The power of design, social networking and branding could all prove to be influential factors.

Designs that changed the world

Italian design genius Ettore Sottsass drew on Dylan, Beats and bubble lamps to create work that influences furniture design, windmills and computers.

Ten ways you can profit from design

Fancy a 35% increase in sales? Or being able to treble your prices? Do you need to persuade retailers to stock your brands? Whatever business you’re in, thinking differently about design can transform your company.

Four wheels bad, two wheels good

Environmentalists, ministers and councils have all urged us to cycle – to no great effect. Robert Jeffery wonders if designers and a new breed of retailers have the answer.

Industrial strength

Is the UK really a design hub? LG, Sony and Nokia have all invested heavily – and recently – in British design. But design leaders and experts say the industry  cannot rely on its traditional strengths if it is to prosper over the next decade

Diamonds, Woolworths, Marmite

Fats Waller might not approve, but luxury is no longer just for the rich. Rhymer Rigby discovers how brands and designers have made high style big business.

Inventing the future

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. In a tough economic climate, innovative, ingenious design thinking is the driving force behind successful businesses, large and small, in all parts of the globe

A short history of profitable design

From forecourts to textiles, IT and the cinema, the record shows that, in economic downturns, investing in design is not a luxury, it’s a competitive necessity.

Are you being served?

Eight out of ten Britons have had a poor experience when buying services, according to the National Consumer Council. Sometimes it’s merely frustrating, at other times totally infuriating, but it’s never good for business.

Russian revelation

New president Dmitry Medvedev knows his country must change. But, Paul Simpson wonders, can he really turn Russia into a nation of innovative entrepreneurs?

Design Council Magazine issue 5